HTC quarter one sales reach an all-time low

Despite the recent news that it has become Facebook’s new BFF, things aren’t looking so great for Taiwan-based smartphone manufacturer HTC. According to Bloomberg, the company just announced its quarterly profits and, sadly, they’ve dropped an astounding 98 percent. Ouch.

The company has been scrambling for some time, trying to keep up with the big wigs in the smartphone industry: Apple and Samsung. Its new flagship device, the HTC One, was met with rave reviews, but the phone, which was supposed to be released in February, has been delayed, apparently due to a shortage of supplies. It’s this delay that could very well have been the reason for the company’s poor earnings.

However, the second quarter of this year may turn things around for HTC. Not only will the One finally make its way onto shelves, but this Friday the company will also be releasing another new phone, the HTC First, which was unveiled at last week’s big Facebook announcement. The phone will be the first model that comes preloaded with Facebook’s new Home software, which essentially turns a user’s phone into a big, interactive newsfeed, among other things.

But even though the One should be making its way to the market in the coming weeks, now it’s going to face an even bigger challenge: Samsung’s highly anticipated Galaxy S4 is just weeks away from going on sale, so HTC has its work cut out. The company is really going to have to convince people to bypass Samsung, the biggest mobile manufacturer out there, in lieu of its own flagship device.

Where do you sit? Have you been waiting with baited breath for the One? Are you torn between the One and S4? Has the close release time made the decision that much harder for you? Let us know!